Rotary agitator



Feb. 7, 1928.

E. B. NICHOLS ROTARY AGITATOR F iled Dec.

INKENTOR. Aka/mis- 1 BY J- 9 4122s ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 7, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR B. NICHOLS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE PFAUDLER 00., O1

ROCHESTE NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ROTARY AGITATOR.

Application filed December 7, 1923. 7 Serial No. 679,691.

This invention relates'to rotary agitators of the variety adapted for example, for stirring the contents of a container, one object of the invention being to provide a siml ple, practical and economical agitator of this character capable of being constructed by practical methods from sheet metal blanks cut, formed and united to afford a light but rigid article of efiicient design. A further 10 object is the provision of an agitator formed from blanks of sheet metal in such a manned as to be efiiciently adapted for the appli- "cation thereto of a fused protective coating of vitreous material. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain im provements and combinations of parts, all as will'be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawin s: Fi re lis a slde view of an agitator embodymg the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front end view of the same; Figure 3 is a sectionalview on the line 26 33 in Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional viewof one .of the agitator blades on the line 43-4 of Fi re 2. i

imilar reference numerals throughout 30 the several views indicate the same parts.-

The present invention provides a rotary type agitator economically constructed from sheet metal by practical forming methodsand requiring therefor a minimum of metal material. This is a substantial advantage especially where it is desired to employ a w more expensive metal of noncorrosive nature but the invention offers the further important advantage of afl'ording a character of to construction particularly adapted for receiving a fused coating of glass enamel or other vitreous material having the various desirable qualities well understood in the art.

- Referring more particularly to the drawings, the present embodiment of the invention is shown as an agitator of the screw or helical type but the lnvention is applicable in its broader aspects to other types as well.

In this embodiment there are employed a 80 pair of sheet metal blanks 5 and 6 each cut to provide a central hub and radial blade portion of. the screw propeller variety as shown in Figure 2. These blanks are of the same size and shape in outline and their peeach other as at 7 sothat the blanks may be brought together with the margins coinciding in abutting relation as shown in Figure 3. The meeting edges are united as by welding, brazing, or the like, to form an integral hollow closed body having thin metal walls of uniform mass throughout. The blade portions are formedyup at a substantially helical propelling inclination to the plane of rotation and may be given. practically any desired shape or design for producing efiicient agitating operation. The forward blank 5, as ure 3, ispreferably provided with a forwar projecting central boss 8 for assistin the l libw of the agitated material and avoiding the formation of a region of reduced pressure in this locality, as well understood in the art. The rear blank 6 has its hub portion provided with a central shaft opening 9 with the of the opening, as for example by welding,

best shown in v brazing, or the like, to provide additional bearing shaft.

While the construction described above may be economically utilized for providing an agitator formed of noncorrosive metal, it

area for the attachment of a driving has in addition the important advantage that a metallic agitator bodyis thus afforded particularly adapted for subjection to a heating process for fusing or baking glass enamel or other vitreous material, as a protective coating over its exterior, as indicated on an exaggerated scale at 12, Figure 4. It is to be noted that the walls of the body as constructed are of uniform mass throughout with all portions of the interior in free communication with one another and with the exterior through .the shaft opening, as deslrable for equalizing temperature condltions and gaseou's pressures created during such fusing.

processes, as well understood in the art,

thereby insuring the production of an article of uniformly: good .quality with little waste in manufacture. As apparentfrom the de-, scription and drawings an agltator so constructed is of light weight but substantial strength which may be increased as required by the use of sheet materlal of substantial thickness and strength. The 'tator furll ripheral margins are turned or rolled toward thermore has a rel tiv y 511100 and 60 u tinuous surface rotected b an unbroken coating of ename as desirab e from a sanitary aspect. I v p I claim as my invention:

1. A rotary, screw type agitator comprising a hollow closed body formed by a pair of sheet metal blanks cut to provide ub'portions and radial blades, with the peripheral margins of said blanks rolled toward each other and welded together, said blades having a substantially 'helical' inclination, a forwardly projecting boss centrally of the forward blank, said rear blank having a central shaft opening with its margin rolled. rearwardly, and a shaftreceiving-sleeve welded to said opening margin in extension thereof.

2; A rotary, screw type agitator comprising a hollow closed body formed by a pair of sheet metal blanks cut to p'rovid'e hub portions and radial blades, with the peripheral margins of said blanks rolled toward the body.

each other and welded together said blades having a helical inclination and the rear of said blanks having ashaft opening, a shaft receiving sleeve welded to the margin of said shaft opening, and a fused coating of vitreous material protecting the exterior of 3. A- rotary, screw type agitator comprising a hollow bodyconstructed of a pair of sheet metal. blanks cut to form central portions with blades extending radially therefrom, said blanks being stainpedso that the entire peripheral edge of each blade is turned to extend at an angle to the axis of rotation of the agitator, said" blanks being united by welding said edges together one of the blanks having a pro ecting hub portion and a shaft receiving sleeve having one end abutting the end of said hub portion and united therewith by welding.

EDGAR B. NICHOLS, 

